The Game of Love
by mannuj
Summary: AU: At Konoha High, there are a total of 500 students. Most of them look the same from their school uniforms. With these few students, you wouldn't expect many different personalitites, but there were a few. You see, this school was not normal. Originally, it was tame, until a bunch of supernatural beings came along and corrupted it.
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N: Here it is! I said August and it is August! Even if you don't like this couple, just try the story out. I would've made this a HitsuHina fic but they just didn't fit the concept I'm going for. Enjoy.)**

* * *

"Sakura-chan!" a male voice called.

A long pink ponytail swiveled around to the direction of the voice. Her large grass-green enlarged slightly. Her soft voice asked, "Hai?"

"Over here Forehead!" shouted a female voice.

The rosette scanned the crowd of matching students. Her eyes landed on two blondes waving their arms frantically. The male blonde had spiky hair and sea blue eyes. The female blonde had teal eyes and her hair in a high ponytail. "Ino-pig! Naruto! It's great to see you two again," she greeted.

The blonde female huffed, "Get it right next time! It's Ino to you."

Sakura held her arms up defensively, "Hai hai."

She looked behind her and grinned. "How are you Naruto?"

"I'm alright," was all he got out before the bell rang.

The three friends walked together to their first class. They took their seats in different corners of the classroom. Ten seconds before the final bell rang, a tall boy by the name of Uchiha Sasuke walked in.

He took his seat in front of Naruto on the far side of the room, away from the windows. He was one of the few new students who arrived two months ago. They included: Uzamaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuga Neji, and Hyuga Hinata. It appeared that ever since they enrolled, the whole school was roused. Before, Konoha High School was a giant group of students who knew each other and talked to everyone. Now, small groups formed with the students that shared the same interests.

A few minutes later, the teacher came in with a book in his right hand. He walked in, saying, "Well, students, please excuse me-,"

"LIAR!" Naruto accused, standing up.

"-for being late. I was helping a little old lady with her groceries-,"

"LIAR!"

"-across the street," he finished.

He gave the class an assignment to finish by the bell. He took a seat and immersed himself in his book. Students turned to talk to one another instead of finishing the assignment. Sakura took one glance at the paper before filling it out. She felt a vibration in her blazer's pocket. Ignoring it for the time being, she stood and walked towards the main desk.

She put the paper down and looked at her teacher in the eye. "Kakashi-sensei, I have to go toodle," she smiled. She waited for his response. He looked her in the eye and gave her a slight nod. She left, missing the way a pair of sea blue eyes and dark eyes stared at her.

Once outside, she ran through the halls. Reaching into her blazer's pocket, she pulled out a tiny phone. Flipping it open, she saw a black dot in the forest near the school. She ran out the front doors and out the gates. Through the thick greenery, her feet stopped by a bush. Pulling out a small bag from behind it, she took out a pair of shades and a small scalpel, and threw in her blazer. She turned and began running again.

The glasses covered her eyes and the scalpel was clutched in her left hand. She slowed down when the buzzing of the phone turned violent. Hiding behind a tree, she peeped at her target: a man in his forties. Her glasses gave her a full profile on his background. "_Hido Jin."_ Beside him, on the grass, was a brunette woman in her thirties. "_Go Mai."_ Her shirt was torn to reveal her shoulder. The man brought his mouth down to her shoulder.

Sakura looked through her glasses and saw another body approaching. Quickly pivoting, she stated, "Halt."

The man looked at her with playful eyes. "Why would I do that?"

Sakura defended, "You're surrounded." She carefully took two steps forward.

The man pulled Mai closer to him. "I'm hungry. Would you be willing to take her place?" he asked.

Sakura raised the scalpel and moved closer. The man's eyes intently locked on her feet. In an instant, Sakura ran towards him at full speed. Jin threw Mai at her and stepped away. Sakura lied the brunette down before following him. _Enemy in pursuit. _Her glasses displayed her same thought. The two went deeper into the forest. Through her shades, Sakura saw a wall ahead. _If he goes over that, he's escaped. _As Sakura's legs tired, her breath became ragged. She threw the scalpel at Jin as a last attempt to stop him.

The scalpel whizzed past his right ear. Fortunately for Sakura, he stopped and turned. He took one step forward and disappeared. Sakura wasn't surprised when she was tackled onto the grass. She didn't have any energy to react fast enough. She pulled on her tie until it was loose and grippable. Jin held her down by her shoulders. He looked at her and smirked. His body grew into a sick brown color. His hands, feet, and torso grew larger. His eyes turned white. Sakura saw the body approaching at an amazing speed from the school's direction.

All of a sudden, her glasses were knocked off. "Oh, what pretty eyes you have," he began. His yellow nails trailed her jaw. "I think I'll keep them."

Sakura grunted and clenched the tie. She raised her fist and punched him in the face. It didn't do any good to him. Jin opened his mouth, showcasing his yellow jaws. Sakura kicked him in the shin and pulled the tie to his eyes. Jin lowered his huge jaws to her face. Sakura scooted into the grass, keeping her hands behind his head for the tie to stay intact. Just when his posionous salivia was about to drip down, the weight was lifted off of her. Sakura sat up slowly and saw a dark orange werewolf mobbing Jin. Jin growled at first and then full-out screamed. When his voice ceased, the wolf turned to Sakura.

_"You need to tell me about these things Sakura-chan," _the wolf growled.

"I was fine Naruto," she assured.

Naruto's large werewolf eyes widened. _"You were almost killed Sakura-chan. If Tsunade baa-chan found out, she'd kill me before I had a chance to change."_

Sakura laughed. "I'm fine. Now, let's get back."

Naruto sighed. Sakura picked up her tie and scalpel. Naruto bent down so she could jump on his back. Once on, he sprinted to the bush where she kept her stuff. Sakura slid off and quickly fixed herself up. "Did they get Mai out?" Sakura asked.

Naruto hid behind a tree and retreated into his human form. "Yeah. The med team showed up and took her in. As for the other guy, he's being dispersed right now."

Sakura nodded. "What was your excuse this time?"

Naruto came out and grinned. "I had to eat ramen."

Sakura's mouth opened and her eyes sunk. "You had to _eat_? Kakashi-sensei let you go because you had to _eat ramen_? Ugh!" _I can't believe this! Discrimination, I tell you! Hmph!_

Sakura's eye twitched. "I'll see you at school."

Naruto shrugged. She started to head back first. She admired the greenery before sneaking past the school gates and into her class. No one seemed to mind that it took her fifteen minutes to return; no one except one pair of dark eyes. They followed her to her seat and lingered on her. Sakura sat down and silently waited for the bell to ring. Naruto barged in with a grin and took his seat in the corner. The two dark eyes followed his appearance. Naruto's shirt was crumpled and there were small traces of grass on his pants. The owner of the dark eyes scowled. When the bell rang, Sakura gracefully gathered her supplies and left.

It seemed as if time stopped when the last person rose to leave. Uchiha Sasuke stood and walked out the classroom doors. Neither he nor Kakashi looked at each other. He touched the door's edge briefly as he turned to the right, out the door. When the late bell rang, Kakashi headed out. He touched the same spot as the Uchiha's. His hand dropped and he kept walking.

* * *

The whole school was in the cafeteria at lunch. Some students were already seated while others stood in the long line to get their food. Sakura and Ino walked in with smiles on their faces.

"Save me seat, will you?" Ino asked.

Sakura nodded and headed over to a table by the large windows. She set her bag down on the ground and gazed at her surroundings. Between the buzzing students, she spotted a familiar one.

"Hinata!" Sakura called out.

A timid-looking girl turned abruptly from her place in line for lunch. Her pale white eyes widened. She blushed at the shout and shyly waved. Sakura cracked a small smile at her friend's display of action. Hinata was just too shy for her own good. Sakura turned to the table and took a seat. She felt as if someone was staring at her. _Who's..? _She turned and was faced with Naruto's smiling face.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" he shouted.

Sakura leaned back. "I'm right next to you baka; you don't need to shout," she said.

Naruto laughed as he took a seat across from her. Sakura sighed and took out her lunch container from her backpack. _There it is again. _Sakura put the box on the table right before she was forcefully pushed forward. Blonde hair filled her eyesight from both sides.

"Pig."

The blonde hair left her skin and Ino stepped to the side. "Forehead!" She looked over at Naruto and greeted, "Naruto."

As they settled down, Hinata came over. "Hey Hinata!" Naruto hollered.

Hinata blushed. "Come sit next to me!" Naruto commanded.

"H-hai Naruto-kun," she flushed.

She made her way towards his left side. In the time of lunch, a male with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle came to sit beside Ino. A girl with two brown buns on top of her head sat next to a male with long, brown hair, and the same pale white eyes as Hinata's. Everyone was ecstatically talking about their classes and how much homework they had. Sakura felt a pang in her head. _Gah. It won't stop. _She excused herself and headed outside.

She took a seat on the cool grass beneath her. Her head leaned on the tree behind her. "Show yourself."

It was quiet; everyone was inside having lunch. A rustle was heard before a figure dropped down from the tree behind her. The shade of the branches made it all the more easy to define who it was. Sakura looked up and stated, "Shizune."

The said lady greeted, "Good evening Sakura."

"Evening," Sakura said.

"Tsunade wants you in early today."

Sakura simply nodded. "I'll be there right after school. Arigatou."

Shizune nodded and she shun'poed in a flurry of leaves. Sakura sighed and looked at the blue sky. Right before she closed her eyes, she heard the door open. "Come on Forehead! Everyone's waiting for you inside," Ino hollered.

Sakura grinned and dusted herself off. "Coming Ino-pig!"

A vein bulged on Ino's temple. "Why you little-,"

Sakura laughed and thwacked Ino's forehead before scurrying inside. The doors closed and the wind picked up. A figure stood where Sakura and Shizune's interaction had been moments before. "Sakura..."

* * *

**(A/N: Ta-dah! How was it? Hmmm, I wonder who that figure was in the ending. Haha. Leave a review! I'd like to know your thoughts before I continue on. :D )**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N: Wow! I've received so many followers in such a short time. Thank you so much! Thank you _sakuraflowerstar_ for favoriting this story and _Peppei_ for reviewing. I won't be revealing anything from the plot. You'll find out as the story moves along. This chapter is to show the background of the characters Sakura's conversing with in the first chapter. Understand that I have school soon and I won't be able to make regular updates, but for now enjoy this chapter!)**

* * *

Sakura walked to her last class of the day.

"Yo Forehead!"

Sakura turned and twitched at Ino. "Sometimes I wonder how we're friends."

Ino grinned. "Don't you remember?"

Sakura scoffed, "Of course I do."

Their mothers were best friends since high school. They did (and still do) everything together. When they married, they chose houses next to each other so they could stay in touch forever. It was funny how their husbands never notcied what was happening. When Ino and Sakura were born, they'd play together whenever one went to the other's house.

Ino laughed. "In a way, it was impossible for us not to be best friends."

Sakura smiled and stepped foot into the classroom. She sat in the first seat she saw at the front row. It was simple logic as to why she sat there: the ones who sat nearest to the door got out the quickest. Sakura had to use this as her advantage if she wanted to meet Tsunade on time.

As the late bell rang, Sakura straightened her posture and waited.

* * *

Sakura slammed her locker shut and sprinted out the doors. An orange car awaited at the turn-around area for her. She thew herself in the passenger seat and looked at the driver.

"Get going Naruto," she hissed.

He looked at her and asked, "Why are you so afraid of Granny?"

"I'm not; I like to be punctual. Now, get going."

Naruto revved the engine and put it in drive. Tsunade was _not _a patient woman; she couldn't be messed with. If they arrived a minute later, she'd post their heads on a plaque with the heading, "Best but Not Punctual." Sakura never wanted to face Tsunade's wrath.

Sakura clutched the handle of the door as the car swerved side to side. _Naruto is by far the worst driver I've ever met in my life. _The car braked near the curb of the government buiilding. They had exactly one minute to travel to the lowest basement level. Sakura got out and headed into the building. She looked back and saw Naruto stretch.

"Oh my God! Come on baka!" Sakura yelled.

Naruto sighed and followed her inside. The officials looked at the two with weak smiles. They knew how predictable Naruto was and how he always caused a ruckus. The elevator dinged and Sakura dragged Naruto inside by the ear. She quickly pressed a code onto the dial pad. The elevator moved to the right. The elevator was a technically built compartment- it would change directions so it was harder for someone to leave and enter.

As the elevator reached the final descent, Sakura pulled Naruto out to the only pair of double doors in the hallway. Naruto didn't bother knocking, he pushed the doors and smiled. His smile was met with a vase thrown at his head.

"AH Granny! What was that for?"

"You were late!"

Sakura bowed and apologized on his behalf. "What did you want to see us about?"

Tsuande cleared her throat. "We need to discuss the kemono quantities."

"The beasts," Sakura repeated.

"Yes. All of a sudden, there are more coming from the outskirts of Konoha. I need both of you to find out where it's coming from."

Naruto was the first to ask, "That's all?"

Tsunade verified, "That's all."

Sakura's eyes furrowed. _That doesn't sound right._ Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Great! When do we start?"

"Tomorrow." Tsunade's fist boomed on her desk. "Dismissed."

Naruto turned his back and opened the door. "Bye Granny!" He shut the door before she could throw another vase at him. Sakura shook her head in laughter and took a good look at her mentor. She remembered the first time she was recruited and how she met the people who were now close to her.

* * *

_"Run Haruno! You're nearing the finish line!" _

_Sakura picked up her speed as she jogged through her fourth and final lap. She was the only female in the mile competition. She was light on her feet; her advantage to finishing first. The ones behind her were on their third lap. _

_"Let's go Forehead! You got this!" _

_Sakura pushed herself when she saw the finish line tape in the distance. Her lungs began retracting quickly as oxygen was becoming harder to exchange with her exhales. __I'm almost there.__ Sakura pushed her last amount of energy into her calves and sprinted towards the tape. Her body cut through it, ending the candidates for first place._

_"Atta' girl!" _

_Ino ran over and handed her a bottle of water and a small towel. Her coach presented her with a small trophy and raised her arm up high for the school reporter who came rushing to take her picture. _

_"Haruno, Haruno, Haruno!" the crowd chanted._

_Away from all the smiles and cheers, a woman with blonde pigtails appeared from the corner of the bleachers. She simply smiled at Sakura and handed her a business card before leaving. _

_All of the enthusiasm and excitement slowly wore out. Sakura headed home to the lockers to shower and look presentable. The card was still clutched in her hand when she locked the door to the stall. __Tsunade? Isn't she one of the officials of the government?__ Sakura freshened and decided to head to the address on the card to settle whatever she wanted. _

_Having Ino take her to the tall building, there was a man in a black suit waiting outside. He stared expectantly at the car and motioned her to go inside. Sakura told Ino to wait outside before heading inside the open doors. "21," the man stated without looking at her._

_Sakura pressed the elevator button to go down. She entered the number onto the dial pad and felt the elevator shift to the right before its descent. Once there, she knocked before walking through the doors. Tsunade stood with a blonde male._

_"Hi," Sakura said awkwardly. _

_Tsunade looked at her. "Sakura, welcome."_

_The male turned around to face her. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm a werewolve!" he grinned brightly._

_What the..?__ Tsunade smacked the back of his head. "Sakura, you've been selected to be a part of the government's Special Forces. You've qualified because of your physical ability and strong personality." _

_Sakura took a step back. "Special Forces?"_

_"They're elite beings who help the world stay away from distress and to keep peace."_

_Sakura took a step back. __I don't have time for this.__ "Thank you for the offer, but I-,"_

_"Oh come on! It's gonna be so much fun!" Naruto exclaimed. __I don't even know if I can trust someone who believes they're a werewolve._

_"There are many from your school who've joined us. No one will expect a thing," Tsunade assured._

_Sakura's decision was bending. "Come on Sakura! Just imagine the adventures we'll have together! I'll protect you, dattebayo!" _

_Sakura showed them her back. She walked out. "Just one thing..." Sakura opened the door and waited for the sentence to finish. "You can't tell anyone of this. You report for training tomorrow everyday after school," Tsunade demanded._

_Sakura shut the door._

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow Naruto," Sakura waved.

"Bye Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed and walked to her small yet compatible apartment. Tomorrow was a big day for her. Right after school, she would have to go search the unknown source of kemono. Sakura went up the steps of the main building and opened the wooden door. As soon as she stepped in, the atmosphere felt ominous. Sakura's hand quickly switched on the light and she saw her living room items exactly where she had left them.

Sakura's backpack fell to the floor, as her nimble feet glided on the hardwood floors. "I know you're here."

There was no response. Sakura's knees bent in a low squat. _There's only one way to find out if someone was here. _Her hand reached to the wooden panel on the floor. Her index finger swiped over one of the lines, causing a string to detach itself from the floor. The string flew in every direction of the apartment. A loud _whoosh _sounded from further inside.

Sakura's feet carried her to her room to find the window open and the moon as a light source. She looked down and saw a dark figure sprinting at an impossible speed. Sakura's eyes widened. _An illusion! _Sakura turned in time to avoid a fatal hit to the back of her neck. She side-stepped and jumped onto her bed. The dark figure gave her no time to recover, heading straight to tackle her. Sakura jumped away and pulled at one of the strings on the floor.

The figure dodged the sharp line from pushing him to the floor. Both people stopped. "Who are you?"

The figure looked up at her and made a dash for the open window. Sakura gasped and followed but lagged when an arm pushed her back. _Shit!_ She landed safely on her patch of strings. It was as if the intruder planned everything. The way the person moved, how they appeared to ambush her, the way they pushed her back, and how they made a safe landing for her. _That was no coincidence. _Sakura sighed and flipped on the button of her lamp.

The room looked exactly the way she'd left it in the morning. The strings covered every inch of the floor. Sakura's keen eyes spotted a drop of blood on one of the sharp lines. _One drop? Just what is going on? _Sakura retracted the strings and sighed. She took a parchment of paper and wiped off the blood. She kept the paper in her hand as she changed and went into her kitchen. Leftovers from yesterday were warmed up and ready to eat.

Sakura made sure all windows and doors were shut before relaxing. _Who could that be? _Sakura went to bed after washing up. The paper was placed in her pajama waistline. _The intruder is bound to show up to hide any evidence of their identity. _

Sure enough, near midnight, Sakura felt the blankets rise from her body. She turned and felt one large hand grab her wrists above her head and one on her stomach. Sakura opened her eyes and reversed the positions of the abductor. Judging by the hand's width, she'd say her abductor was a male. The man shoved her away and reached for her waist. Sakura slapped his hand away and scooted back.

"Stop! Tell me who you are, and I'll destroy the proof," she negotiated.

She _felt _the man smirk. He wasn't going to buy it. He tackled her and rested his palm on her elastic band. His fingers pulled out the paper. She pulled him off of the bed and to the floor. She straddled his legs and grabbed blindly for the parchment. Once she was sure it was in her grasp, she got up, only to be pulled down again.

The man grabbed the paper and flew out her window. Sakura was quick on her feet and followed him out to stop and see him sprint across the street. She saw the back of her attacker's hair- it was spiked up in the back. _Where have I seen that before?_

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**(A/N: That's a wrap! Whew. I wanted this out before I went to bed. Review and tell me what y'all thought about it. Bye bye.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update. Ever since school started, I had no time to sit and relax. I will try to get back to my original schedule as soon as possible. Enjoy this short chapter.)**

* * *

Once Sakura stepped foot on school grounds, she felt something wrong. The night before had her riled up to such a large extent that she didn't have enough sleep. _Why would someone break into my apartment? They weren't trying to ambush me, so why- !_

"Sakura-chan!"

She stopped walking and looked ahead. Naruto was standing by the gates, waving enthusiastically at her. Sakura sighed and smiled at him. "Hey Naruto," she greeted once she was close enough.

"Are you ready for today?" he asked.

_Today? What's today? Oh right. Damn! I can't believe I forgot. _"After school," she slowly slurred out.

Naruto nodded and swung his arm around her shoulders. She walked a few steps with him before turning to her side. "I just remembered, I have to go to class early to talk to sensei."

Naruto blinked. "Dai jo bou, Sakura-chan?"

"Mm-hm. I'm just a little tired," she answered before running off.

The bell rung. He scratched the back of his head before heading off to his class. _I wonder what's gotten into her._

* * *

"Forehead! Where're you going?"

"I have to get my notebook from my locker. I'll meet you at the table."

Ino nodded and headed towards the cafeteria. Sakura briskly walked to her locker. There wasn't a soul except hers in the hallway. Grabbing her notebook, she pivoted to walk back. Her foot tripped over air and she was soon falling towards the floor. An arm wrapped around her midriff and pushed her back against the locker. Sakura gasped and looked up to see the infamous Uchiha Sasuke. His dark eyes were intently staring at her without an expression written on his face. His hands spread outwards on the cool metal behind her.

Sakura gulped. He was invading her personal space and she was ready to push him away. He leaned inwards near her ear and whispered, "Be careful next time... Haruno." With that said, he left as she opened her mouth to retort her words at him. She pushed herself away and glanced at his retreating form. Her eyes widened. _His hair! _She was about to take a step forward but stopped when she heard Naruto.

"Sakura-chan, come on!"

She cursed and followed him to the lunch room. Uchiha Sasuke smirked as he left school grounds.

* * *

"Let's go." Sakura said at the front of the school doors.

Naruto nodded and shrugged off his jacket at the base of the tree, before shifting behind a tree.

Sakura sighed, "Isn't there any other way for you to change?"

Naruto walked out and made a low whine before bending down. She gripped his dark orange fur and climbed onto his back. While riding through the woods, they made a stop at the bush where Sakura usually kept her supplies. She slid on her glasses and retrieved her blade, as well as taking off her blazer. Once she got back on Naruto's back, he took off running.

_"It's close," _he growled. Sakura nodded and held on tighter. In a moment or two, the beast would sprout up to try and surprise them.

Her glasses displayed the direction where the kimono nest was located. _"Northwest." _Naruto sprinted to the right. They reached a large clearing between all the trees. Sakura swung her leg over and jumped to the ground. _I don't remember there ever being a field out here. _

_"Sakura, move!" _Naruto screamed.

Sakura's body moved on its own. Her legs took her five feet away from where she was. She covered her head as a tree fell in the spot she was just moments ago. _Where are they hiding? _Her glasses beeped. _"Incoming on the left." _Sakura swung her blade to her left, just in time to slash the kemono in front of her. It was a grown white cat with purple pants on, standing on two legs. It had a large ax in its right hand. Blood dripped from his right ear. _"Weakness- fire." _

"Hahaha. You got me there little girl, but I'm going to make your death a thousand times worse," he said.

Naruto launched at him aggressively. He tore off the cat's ear and slashed his chest before he was violently thrown off by another kemono. Sakura ran towards the first cat and tackled him to the ground. The beast was in too much pain to notice how she probed and pocked at his wounds. The second cat dug its teeth into her side and flung her at Naruto. _"Sakura-chan, are you okay?"_ She nodded and gripped her side. "Listen Nauto. You get the second one and let me deal with the first."

_"But-!"_

Sakura huffed and ran towards the her opponent. The cat raised its ax at her. She slid under it when he brought it down. She shoved her blade across his leg and rolled away before he could recover. She looked around to find a source to start her fire. "I know you're here human. I can_ smell _you."

Sakura panted and hid behind a large boulder. She grabbed two thick twigs near her feet and began rubbing them against each other. A small stream of smoke formed and gave away her hiding position. Her legs spread out on the floor. She was bleeding and trying her best to survive. She blew on the sticks, trying to increase the friction, to no avail. "I found you." The kemono leaned over her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up. He lifted her into the sky and was about to let go. _"Approaching on the left."_

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

A large fire ball engulfed the cat and set him ablaze. It screamed in agony and terror. Sakura's head lolled to the side from her blood loss. Her eyes struggled to stay open. She saw the figure approach her and bend down to inspect her wounds. She caught a glimpse of his face before she completely closed her eyes. "Uchiha Sasuke," she whispered.

He picked her up gently and walked over to the clearing. Naruto had just finished disposing of the second kemono. "Hey dobe, come on."

Naruto quickly turned around and jumped the distance between them. _"Are you out of your mind teme? Did she see you? How could you be so stupid?"_

Sasuke's eyes furrowed. "Urasai." He turned away before Naruto could retort back at him. He had to get the girl in his arms medical attention.

* * *

**(A/N: Done! This was written two days ago, but I wasn't satisfied with the length and so I thought I'd give this to you in two parts. Review please.)**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N: I apologize for not updating in so long. I'm not going to bother you all with my excuses. Enjoy reading!)**

* * *

Sakura's eyes slowly opened. A bright light shone on her face from overhead. _I'm in HQ; these bright lights are only in the medical department. _She sighed and looked towards her left, where the door was. Before she could even move an inch, Shizune walked through the door with a clipboard in her hand. "Ah Sakura; you're awake!"

"So I am," Sakura smiled.

Shizune walked over to check her vitals to make sure her recovery was sliding smoothly. She placed a few pillows behind Sakura's spine to aid her in sitting up. "How long have I been in here?"

"A few hours, I suppose."

Sakura raised a pink eyebrow. "You suppose?"

Shizune chuckled. "Yeah. I didn't notice when he brought you in."

Sakura's eyes furrowed. "You _didn't notice_ Naruto bring me here?"

"Oh- Naruto didn't bring..." Shizune trailed off.

"Who brought me here?" Sakura asked. Now, she was really curious as to who else could've possibly carried her here with clearance from Tsunade. _There wasn't anyone else present. _Her eyes zoomed on Shizune's hand tightening on the clipboard she held. "Who bought me here Shizune?" she repeated.

"M-maybe you should speak to Tsunade-sama," she stuttered. "I have to get to another patient. Goodbye Sakura."

Sakura watched the nurse quickly leave. _She's surely hiding something. _Sakura tore off the sheets covering her body and made a move to step down from the bed, when she felt the striking pain travel to her side. She heaved and jutted her hand out to grab the bed's safety railing next to her. She remembered what happened prior to her hospitalization. _That stupid kemono got me and then... then... _Sakura gripped her abdomen and made her way out of the door. _Uchiha Sasuke. _

* * *

"Listen Uchiha, Sakura doesn't need another problem in her life." Tsunade scolded.

Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of the blonde woman's desk. He had better things to do than listening to this lecture for another hundredth time. "Hey! Stop thinking you've got something better to do than be here!"

He was utterly fed up with her yapping. He banged his hands onto the wooden surface and glared at her. "_I saved her life. _You should be _thanking me._"

Tsunade snarled and jumped up. "I gave you an assignment to watch over her without her _realizing._"

"Hey hey! Maybe we should calm down! Granny, it wasn't really teme's fault! I swear! He was just trying to-," Naruto spoke up.

All three voices in the room ceased when they heard the double doors opening. In came the very girl they were discussing about.

Her eyelids lifted to the man whose back was turned on her. "You! What are _you _doing here?" Sakura interrogated.

Naruto nervously laughed. "Well it's a funny story actually. You see Sakura-chan, teme-,"

"What is he doing here Tsunade? Is he a part of _us_?" she asked.

"Everyone calm down. Take a seat- all three of you," Tsunade stated.

Sakura huffed before taking a seat between the two boys. All three teens sat down in their chairs, waiting for the woman in charge to speak. "Sakura, Sasuke's been in this business for a while now. He started before we scouted you; he was originally assigned as Naruto's partner before the switch."

Naruto exclaimed, "Dattebayo! Teme and I were unbeatable!"

"Urusai Naruto!" she said. Her eye twitched before continuing, "We switched Sasuke for you when he suddenly disappeared."

Sakura's eyes twitched. "And you just happen to tell me now?"

"I didn't feel the need to. He was isolated from the rest of the agents; I didn't trust him when he came back."

Sasuke remained quiet throughout the time Tsunade gave her side of the story. He wanted to leave the room as soon as possible. "You set him to watch over me," the pinkette said.

Tsunade nodded. "I wanted to make sure you were both safe." Sakura shook her head. "That doesn't explain why you kept me in the dark." Tsunade looked at Sasuke. "That's his decision if he wants to tell you or not."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke before sighing. "Now that all of you are acquainted, I'm putting all three of you together as a team," Tsunade said.

Naruto gave a wide smile and jumped up. "That's awesome Granny! You've really outdone yourself this time!"

"Don't call me that! Anyways..." she sighed. "Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, and Uchiha Sasuke are hereby known as team 7," she declared.

* * *

"This is gonna be so much fun! Just the three of us going out and killing kemonos everywhere!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura sighed. They walked out onto the streets of Konoha and towards the park. They would be evaluated as a trio tomorrow morning to ensure their eligibility. After their placement, all three were dismissed. Sasuke was silent the whole time as his team members carried on a conversation. Sakura smacked Naruto on the head. "Baka!"

"Oi teme! Why're you so quiet?"

Sakura stopped and looked behind. Sasuke was staring right at her and she hadn't even noticed. "We should train for tomorrow," was all he said before walking ahead of them both.

"Can we at least a bowl of ramen before? I'm starving!"

"You're always starving Naruto," retorted Sakura.

Silently, team 7 headed over to Naruto's favorite restaurant.

* * *

After eating countless bowls of ramen, Naruto was ready to go burn off the calories that mysteriously never appeared on his body. Team 7 followed Sasuke into a secluded part of town away from the busy streets. _Interesting, I've never visited this part of Konoha. _"We'll start with a simple bell exercise," Sasuke commanded.

Sakura and Naruto both glanced at each other and nodded. "You can't change dobe."

Naruto huffed and whined, "Aww c'mon teme! Why you gotta be so rude~ Dont' you know I'm human-,"

"You're not human dobe."

Naruto looked away, outraged. "So what do we do?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura-chan, we're supposed to steal th bells from teme's waist," Naruto explained.

The Uchiha tied the bells onto the loops of his pants and stood straight, waiting for the two bright hair-colored teens to strike. Sakura crouched down into a low position, whispering, "It should be easy enough."

Naruto charged forward, attempting to throw a punch to Sasuke's face. Sasuke moved aside me muttered, "Hn."

Sakura took a deep breath before running ahead. She aimed a kick to his legs, which he avoided by pushing Naruto towards her. The two teens tumbled onto the ground- Naruto landing not-so-gently on Sakura. "Is that really all you got teme?" Naruto asked.

As Sakura was dusting herself off, Naruto was already up and going for combos against Sasuke. She watched in awe as the two managed to continue sparring even after being hit by their opponent several times.

_How do I catch him off guard? _Her eyes glanced at the bellshanging on his waist. His right knee came up to Naruto's stomach, but was at a halt by Naruto's hand catching it midway. _Maybe if I can get him to fight me, Naruto can come up from behind and snatch the bells. _She circled the Uchiha from the back and raced towards him.

He already sensed what she was doing and hooked his left leg onto Naruto's calf to slam him into the dirt. He turned just as the girl yelled, "Go Naruto!"

He didn't care about the done now; his attention was fully on the pinkette in front of him. When she was close enough, she launched her foot out to trip him, but he shifted his weight onto his hind foot to avoid the attack. She fisted her hands and attempted to hit him in the jaw. He easily avoided her hits and decided against injuring her.

"Why did you watch over me?" she asked.

Had Tsunade not been clear enough? He caught her fist in his hand before it could come in contact with his face. "Hn."

Sakura withdrew and led out a snarl before reaching for the floor. Sasuke blinked as he was tackled to the floor by a grapple. She huffed as she sat atop him. "You're annoying." Sakura drew her arm back and brought it down onto his _stupid, arrogant complexion. _Uchiha Sasuke wasn't one to be submitted by a girl, so he quickly diverted his cheek into the dirt. He would let her believe that she had the upper hand for now, and _then_ he would show her who was the dominant in their team.

He was surprised, in the very most, when her fist collided with the rock underneath him, that it cracked. The girl could pack a punch. He smirked and swung his leg over her hip to take her down. Sakura kneed him in the groin and wrapped her fingers around his neck. They looked into each other's eyes. Sasuke found his vision slither down to her plump, red lips and towards the flesh of her exposed neck. It looked delectable to him. He was snapped out of his silent trance when she leaned over to his left ear and breathed, "I win." He focused on her breath on his ear and her lips just barely touching his heated skin.

He took in her words and his eyes narrowed the tiniest bit as he could no longer feel the string of the bells against his waist. He distantly heard Naruto screaming, "Haha, we got it teme! We won!"

Sakura got up and offered her hand to him. "Tch." He stood and closed the distance between himself and the girl. He breathed down her throat, "Next time, I'd like to see your legs move a bit more."

Sakura gulped. He moved back and silently left without an acknowledgement to Naruto. Sakura felt her pulse speed up the slightest bit and a warm, red blush spread across her cheeks. _What was that? He was indirectly implying that we would spar together often. _Sakura shook her head furiously and walked over to Naruto to high-five him on their victory.

* * *

Sakura stepped into her apartment silently. She couldn't get her mind off of the member of their team. She walked towards the kitchen and poured herself a glass of orange juice from the fridge. She sat atop a stool tucked under the island in the middle of the room. All of her lights were off and her windows closed. Anyone from the outside would believe she was asleep. Gulping down the cool liquid, she placed it in the sink and followed the hallway to the only bedroom in the apartment. She needed a good night's sleep to be able to handle school the following day. She groaned as she fell onto her sheets.

* * *

**(A/N: Well there it was. I'm working hard on putting in more details and becoming a better writer but school's opening up in two in a half weeks, and I know I haven't spent much time on my stories. I'll try to update one more time before school begins, otherwise, I'll have to wait until the a break comes along. Review!)**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N: This may be the last chapter for a while because school is starting again soon and I won't have time to update. So my present to you all is this long chapter.)**

* * *

"Hey Forehead!"

Sakura's foot had just literally stepped through the front door when she heard her name screamed throughout the high school parking lot. She put a smile on her lips and turned her head up to greet her best friend. "Hey Ino-pig."

Ino thwacked Sakura in the arm and scolded, "Why do you _still _call me that? Do you see any sort of fat on my body?"

"Of course. You need fat to survive Ino-pig. In a way, you can think of it as a compliment."

Ino shook her head. The two girls began walking towards their lockers, which were conveniently set next to each other. Ino gasped, "Why didn't you tell me that you talked with Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "What are you talking about? I didn't talk to him at all," she lied. Lying was one of the many reasons she was chosen for her job as an agent under Tsunade's command. She could lie staring right at her opponent and make them believe whatever she wanted them to. But, her enemies didn't know her as well as her one and only best friend.

"You liar! You dare lie to your one and only best friend?"

Sakura opened her locker and grabbed her books before slamming it shut. "Where did you hear that?"

Ino raised her hand to gaze at her nails before facing Sakura, "Who do you think it was if the whole school knows?"

Sakura's eyebrow twitched. "Naruto..." She would have to have a _small _discussion with Naruto about speaking of peoples' privacy.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of first period. Sakura's feet dragged her to class. "Hey! I'm not done talking to you yet. We have to set this thing straight! I need to know everything, you hear me Haruno Sakura? Everything!" Ino yelled, walking right after her.

Sakura's shoulders came up in an embarrassed way. _How could I have possibly thought we could keep this as business? This is just one of the many bad things about a small school: everyone knows everything. _Sakura took her seat in the back row of the classroom. Though she was an 'A+' student, sometimes she found that sitting in the back was much more relaxing than always being alert in the front. She dropped her stuff onto the floor and rested her forehead onto the wooden surface in front of her. She had exactly ten minutes to wander off in her own thoughts before Kakashi-sensei would arrive.

Just as she was about to shut her eyes, she heard the seat next to her move. She lifted her eyes and saw the Uchiha sit in the desk besides her. _Of course. There's two dozen seat in this entire classroom and he chooses the one next to the girl with the abnormal hair color. _He nodded in her direction as a greeting before resting his arms on his desk to absorb the impact of his head. He closed his eyes and nodded off. Sakura kept staring at him, going through all the possibilities of why he would consent to following her. _Was it because it was a direct order? Did he feel like he had to prove himself trustworthy again? _

The classroom door slid shut and Kakashi-sensei walked in, giving another excuse of his tardiness. Before he could finish, Naruto would accuse of being a terrible liar and Ino would attempt to shut him up. Oh yes, just another day at Konoha High School. Nope, that was all going to change because _someone _decided to sit next to her in her first class.

* * *

More than 400 students entered the cafeteria at the same time. Despite there being a single lunch period, not many students would sit around in the cafeteria to eat. The majority of the guys would be outside playing basketball and such while the girls would be there trying to catch their attention. Sakura had managed to persuade Ino and Naruto to wait in the lunch room while she emptied her backpack into her locker. Going to her locker was quite simple since the rows of compartments aligned the hallways. She unzipped her backpack and piled her morning class notebooks into the small space.

She closed her locker quietly and strapped bolted in the lock. She took a step to her left and saw a tall girl with dark purple, stright hair. _Ami Watanabe._ "Do you need something Watanabe-san?" she politely asked.

Her fist collided with Ino's locker. "I heard you're sitting with Sasuke now."

_I knew he'd cause me trouble. _Sakura held her head high. "He _had to _sit next to me because there weren't any other available seats. There's nothing else going on between us."

She snarled and took a step forward. "Oh really? That's funny because Naruto was just wailing out that the two of you owning him in some game by you _sitting atop him_."

_Oh no. _"Listen, I don't want any trouble. You can have him; we're just friends," the pinkette defended.

"And it better stay that way," she growled. She spun on her heel and left without another sound. Sakura exhaled and proceeded to walk to the cafeteria. Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She continued her pace, flipping open the screen to see what the problem was. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw a red dot where their school was. _That can't be right. There isn't a kemono in sight. _She opened the cafeteria doors, and like the push of a button, the sprinklers stuck to the ceiling g turned on. All of the students in the cafeteria began screaming a scattered as the water rained down mercilessly.

Emerald green eyes spotted the blonde she was looking for standing on top of a table. He took one glance at her and ran to the exit. Sakura was pushed back out of the cafeteria as the students made their way outside. She ran back to her locker and dropped all of her stuff inside after grabbing a fanny pack from the back of the storage space. The screen of her phone showed the red dot inside the gymnasium. She sprinted out of the school building and to the enormous gym the school owned. Her shoes were filled with water and all the weight of it was bringing her down. She opened the doors to the building and stepped in.

The inside was pitch black and it seemed the sprinklers had somehow stopped raining down on the hardwood floor. There seemed to be not a living soul except hers inside, but she'd rather be safer than sorry. She put on her glasses and took a defensive stance. Her glasses came to life and quickly beeped. _"Incoming from above." _Sakura tumbled away and heard a loud crash. The kemono was a skinny woman with shiny black hair. Her teeth were rotted yellow and her eyes were bloodshot. She smiled at Sakura. "Oh dear, I've been waiting for you to arrive," she smiled.

Sakura didn't back down her stare. This woman was dangerous and she knew better than anyone who wasn't there in the gym. _"Identification unknown. Weakness- light." _No wonder all of the lights were blocked out. Sakura grabbed a small kunai from her pack and held it in her right hand. It was time to attack. She ran up to her and swung at her face. The woman moved out of the way and swung her arm towards her stomach. She didn't have enough time to react and braced herself for impact until she heard the window smash open and the body in front of her being tackled to the floor.

Naruto's wolf form held the kemono down with his four paws. "That won't work on me," the kemono said. She disappeared in a whiff of smoke and reappeared behind him, grabbing him and throwing him at the bleachers. The wood of the seats broke and cushioned his fall. "Give up, you're outnumbered," a deep voice stated.

Sakura's neck whipped around to see the Uchiha standing behind her. She hadn't even heard him come in. Naruto got back on his four limbs and howled. Sakura pulled out a couple shurikens from her pack. Sasuke and Naruto charged against the kemono. They stopped right before they could've collided. The woman became a cloud of smoke and showed up in another setting. Sakura threw the metal stars against the top of the bleachers, where the windows were. _"Appearing on the right." _Sakura fisted her hand and punched the kemono in the face before bring her hand around to slash her. The skinny woman backed away into Naruto, who once again climbed on top of her to tear her head off. Her fingers dug into his front paws that forced him to let go.

"Enough," Sasuke whispered. Everything seemed to stop. Time seemed at a halt. The windows were smashed and the sunlight began to pour in. Naruto covered Sakura's eyes as Sasuke lifted his eyes towards the woman. "You have the sharingan. The devil is in front of my very own eyes. I can't believe it," her voice cracked.

Sasuke's dark aura could be felt in the entire expanse of his body. "Die." Sakura heard an agonizing scream of the woman. She pushed her palms against her ears to block out the screams. Naruto whined and then, just like that, it was all over. Naruto's body minimized as the light filled in the court. Sasuke stood with his hands fisted in his pockets. "We have to report this teme," Naruto broke the silence.

"Hn. She trusts you more than me. You go tell her dobe," he answered.

Naruto nodded and touch Sakura's shoulder briefly before leaving the grounds. Sakura twitched in her place. Never had she before witnessed such a gruesome death of a kemono. "Let's go Haruno." Sakura looked at him and said, "But school is-,"

"They dismissed everyone. School's out for the next two days." Simple short sentences yet they held so much meaning. It was wise not to question him, and she followed him into the daylight. If he was planning to kill her wherever he was taking her, she could always take him, right?

"Do you trust me?"

Sakura stared at his back. The proud Uchiha clan symbol shown on his back gave him an intimidating look from behind. She didn't trust him at all. To her, he was only here as an obligation to following orders to protect her from harm. "Should I?" she asked.

He bent down. "Get on," his voice commanded.

She defied him and remained where she was. "We'll get there faster." He reasoned she wasn't going to hop on without a fight and took stealthy steps towards her. Before she could blink, he had her held tight on his back and was already running. "My place."

* * *

As Sasuke sprinted, a large gate came into view. _He lives in a mansion?_ He completely diverted from that path and snuck into the woods surrounding the structure. He went around the compound until he came to the backside. The iron gate was a bit shorter than the front, and a slightly darker color. He hopped over the boundary and onto a balcony. The doors of it were open and the curtains were pushed aside. He set Sakura down abruptly and strode to his closet to the bathroom. The walls of his room were painted a dark navy color and the furniture was mahogany. He returned with a big, white, fluffy towel. Saskura reached her hand to take it, briefly touching his cold fingers.

He sucked in a breath before breaking away. "Go shower," he ordered. Sakura nodded and opened the door to go in.

Sasuke heard the door close and let out the oxygen he held. She had no idea how difficult it was to carry her all the way from school until here. Her soaked body was pressed tightly against his back and her legs had locked around his hips. He was grateful to arrive home when he did, otherwise he didn't know what he would've done. He ran a pale hand through his hair and shrugged off his shirt over his head. The shirt landed on the floor, releasing water onto the wooden floor. "Tch." He leaned against the balcony in his wet pants. He stared at the greenery below his line of vision.

His ears perked when he heard the shower turn off. _That was a fast shower. _His sensitive ears heard shuffling before the door opening. He lifted his head and turned to the side. What he saw made his body jerk. His hands tightened on the banister and he took a deep breath in. The white towel hugged her figure tightly, as to not slip. "A-ano, I didn't have anything to wear, so..."

His feet lead him to his closet and he pulled out a black shirt and a pair of boxers for her to wear. Sakura stared at his broad shoulder blades and pectoral muscles. _No wonder he was recruited. _"Arigtou." She took the clothes and returned to the bathroom. She quickly threw the clothes and emerged outside with her wet jeans. She had rung everything she wore and now needed a place to dry them. He ignored her and went past her to shower. She glared at him when she heard him say, "Annoying."

The pinkette smirked and hung her clothes on his balcony's banister. She heard the door open and looked at a place to hide. _The bed! _Right when she was about to dive, she heard the door make contact with the wall and she froze. "Sasu-chan! Why didn't you tell me you were-," the voice died off.

There in the doorway stood a woman in a dark blue dress and even darker, straight hair. She looked at the girl in the room with surprise. Here, she was trying to welcome her son home after she heard the news of the fire alarm at school, only to find a girl she didn't give birth to in the room. "H-hi," Sakura stuttered.

Uchiha Mikoto took a moment to assess the situation. There was a girl standing in her house with her youngest son's shirt on, baring her thighs. Where was her son? The shower was running in the bathroom, so she figured her Sasu-chan was safe in there. "Oh my, who are you?" she asked politely.

Sakura bowed her head before responding, "Haruno Sakura. I apologize for this...ah- encounter."

The bulb lit in Mikoto's head. "You're Sasuke's teammate! Oh, that's alright then." She sorted out the information she had. The school's fire alarm had gotten the team wet and Sasuke had nicely offered his team member a chance to wash up before heading home. She raised an excellent son!

"I've prepared lunch downstairs. Please inform him when he's done showering," Mikoto said.

Sakura nodded, "Hai." With her confirmation, the older woman stepped out of the room and softly shut the door. She would have to have a chat with her youngest heir this evening.

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry but I really must be getting home now," Sakura apologized.

"Nonsense! You'll have lunch with us and then Sasu-chan will drop you off, isn't that right Sasu-chan?"

Sasuke turned his head to the side and whispered, "Aa."

"Thank you for the offer, but I _really _need to be getting home now," Sakura pushed.

Just as the older woman was about to whine, a gruff voice siad, "Let the poor girl go Mikoto."

The three people in the dining room turned to greet Uchiha Fugaku. "Oh Fugaku, you're home early," the woman smiled.

"Aa, I finished my business with my associates," he responded quickly.

Sakura bowed her head, "It's an honor to meet you Uchiha-san."

The older man gave both teenagers an acknowledgement before making his way to the head chair of the table.

Mikoto sighed and turned to the two members of team seven. "I believe this is goodbye then. I'll have your clothes dried today and Sasuke can return them to you tomorrow. Please be sure to visit us again."

Sakura bowed her head and followed Sasuke out the front door.

* * *

Sakura stepped up to unlock her apartment door. Once she opened it, she flipped the light switch on the side of the wall. "You broke into my apartment the other day, didn't you?" she asked.

He stood still at the step of the wooden door. "Hn," he grunted.

"Why would you do that?" she pondered. He whirled on his foot and began making his way down the stairs. Sakura, noticing this, called out, "W-wait. Would you like to come in?"

He gave no notification that he'd heard her and kept walking. Sakura sighed and closed her door silently. She hadn't properly thanked him for his hospitality. _More like his parents' hospitality. _The clock in the living room indicated it was nearing six o'clock. Sakura opened the blinds in her room before heading to her room for a much deserved nap. She would have to deal with Tsunade and school the next day. Right now, her thoughts were occupied by Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

**(A/N: Well, that was tough. I wanted to go on but there were just too many time gaps to cover. Any questions, comments? Review and I can hopefully clear up any confusion.)**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N: Enjoy. Sorry this took so long! This chapter is a filler before I continue with the plot.)**

* * *

Yamanaka Ino looked out the classroom window to the field below. She sighed and stared at Nara Shikamaru lying on the grass, gazing up at the clouds in the bright blue sky. He was in the same spot every single day, as if he was waiting to feel the blonde drool over him. Sakura glanced to her best friend and classmate, and shook her shoulder.

"Ino-pig, stop boring holes into this back."

Ino swatted her hand at the pinkette. "Sh, can't you see this is important?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled. Leave it to Ino to ignore the entire reason she was in school. Sakura turned back to the notebook on her desk. She hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep last night, due to her never-ending thoughts of Uchiha Sasuke, If she closed her eyes, she visualized his red eyes, indicating he wasn't human in any way possible. When she opened her eyes, she saw him walking away from her apartment, like a human in all ways possible.

Her back slumped against her wooden chair. _Ugh. I am exhausted. _She glanced at the clock- only ten minutes left before school was over. She had trudged on the entire day, bumping into students and profusely apologizing. All she wanted to do was go home and take a small nap before she had to begin her homework.

"Haruno-san, please answer the second question under section 294."

Sakura's head whipped up to the teacher, mouth opening. She looked down at her desk, noting she hadn't even opened her textbook. She stood to formally bow and apologize for not paying attention. Before she could speak, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

The teacher slammed her book shut and announced, "Class dismissed. Haruno-san, please see me after class."

Sakura's chin touched her chest. Out of all people, the professor had to pick on her?

As the students left the classroom, Sakura slowly made her way towards the front of the class. "I'm so sorry professor, I just-,"

"Relax Haruno-san. I'm not mad. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling alright. I understand- everyone gets tired now and then, and you're no exception."

Sakura let out a breath of thankfulness and bowed to her professor. "Get some well deserved rest and I will see you bright and early on Monday next week."

The girl nodded and made her way to the exit. She was so worried she'd get in trouble that she hadn't thought about the fact that she was an A+ student. The pinkette made her way to her locker to get her belongings. School was finally over.

* * *

"Sit down."

Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke all sat down in the three chairs across Tsunade's desk. They had all reported here right after school had finished.

"I have some important news for all three of you. I will be leaving on a business trip for a few days, and I'll be leaving Kakashi as your sensei here."

Sakura's ears perked. "Kakashi-sensei knows about us too?"

Sasuke stayed silent as Naruto blabbered, "Well of course Sakura! Why do you think he never calls us back after the five minute bathroom breaks?"

Sakura leaned back and began to think. Speaking of that, she had never noticed how he was never upset with them when they left for the entire class period at a time. How many others knew about the program?

"Anyways, I'm warning you to behave. I wouldn't want him to leave because he couldn't handle this team."

The separately colored heads nodded at the same time. She didn't have to tell them to be on their best behavior, they were old enough to know, unlike Naruto.

She stood up, her blonde hair moving behind her as she did. "There haven't been as many kemono attacks as before, so you all can have a break while I'm gone."

The team in front of her nodded, enabling Tsunade to state, "Dismissed."

* * *

Sweat rolled down Sasuke's temples as he ran across the field. He came out for a run as soon as the meeting was over. His mind was preoccupied with images of Sakura. He increased his speed, calves aching as he climbed the stairs into central Konoha. He absolutely loved the thrill of running- it was one of his most desirable aspects. With speed came swiftness, and with swiftness came agility. And with agility there was victory.

To him, victory came first over the care of others. If someone died, it would be in the glory that they had did so to complete the mission.

He enjoyed training and bringing his opponents down. He had grown up in such a community with his older brother and father. His mother was the only one who cared enough about him to help him grow into a well-mannered gentleman.

* * *

At exactly 6:00 PM, Sakura stepped out to head to the grocery store. Her refrigerator had to be restocked for she was going to hold a party to commemorate their break from fighting evil. She walked into the store and picked up a cart for her groceries. She rolled the cart to the frozen section and began to think about what she could cook. Naruto loved ramen, but she didn't know what Sasuke preferred. Maybe she should call him?

No. Maybe she would visit his family later on? No. She didn't know them that well and she didn't think Sasuke would think so highly of her if she went on and barged into his home to ask about his likes and dislikes.

"I'll just make pasta," she decided.

She rolled her cart to the dry food section and picked up two boxes of pasta strings. She then walked to the vegetable aisle and picked up some of her favorite vegetables. Lettuce, fruit, and tomatoes were neatly stacked in her cart. She stood in line, waiting for a turn at the self-checkout. As she scanned her items and payed for them, she stepped out with two large bags.

She left the cart and began walking outside, only to bump into someone. "Oh no, sir I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to- Naruto?"

Naruto looked at Sakura with a wide gaze. "Saskura-chan, what are you doing here?"

"Naruto! How many times have I told you to stop eating ramen? It's not good for you!"

Naruto held both bags from her, and fell into step with her to her apartment. "Say Sakura-chan, how much food did you buy? Surely you don't eat that much."

Sakura's eye twitched. "Of course not baka! I'm gonna hold a party for us tomorrow in honor of our time off."

Naruto nodded. They stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the cars to pass before they could make their way across. Her apartment was located only a measly four blocks away. They slowly walked, reaching the house in thirty minutes.

"Ne Sakura-chan?"

Sakura turned her head towards him. "Nani?"

Naruto cleared his throat and exclaimed, "How about that date you owe me for carrying your bags for you?" He smiled, showing his perfectly aligned teeth.

Sakura's fist rose and her eyebrows twitched. "Why you little-!"

Naruto began to run in front of her. He laughed as he scurried to her apartment. Sakura ran right behind him, waving her fist in the air.

* * *

Once inside, Sakura go to work. "Call him Naruto."

Naruto made a face as he sat in the stool in front of her. "Teme isn't gonna come Sakura-chan. He's a heart made of metal."

Sakura sighed and then said, "Would he really refuse team bonding? At least, try to persuade him. We all know how well you are at that."

Naruto grinned at got up, He grabbed the phone from the receiver and made his way towards the couch. Sakura watched as he brought up the phone to his ear and waited.

She tuned his voice out as she focused on making her dish. Why did she feel such an attraction to Sasuke? It was as if she always wanted him there no matter what. Team bonding without him just didn't seem complete. Sakura shook her head and turned up the dial on the stove.

Hopefully, just hopefully, he would come. If he didn't, well, she prayed to God he was prepared, because she was going to kick him through oblivion.

Naruto rushed in as her thoughts ended. "Teme said yes!"

Sakura smiled and patted Naruto on the back. "What did I tell you? I knew he would come!"

Naruto sheepishly grinned. He wouldn't tell her that he had made a deal with Sasuke for him to come. Naruto would have to leave once they were into the dinner. Sasuke agreed to come if Naruto would take care of his shift. At first, Naruto had argued, explaining they shouldn't be doing any work on their vacation. Then, Sasuke brought up the fact that anything could happen at any time. To that, Naruto agreed.

Now, only in a matter of minutes, the food was set on the table and a knock resounded on the door. Naruto sprung up to get it and quickly told Sakura, "I'll be back Sakura-chan, I have to take a quick walk outside!"

_A quick walk?_ Sakura rushed to the door, only to find it shut and Sasuke standing in front of it. _Oh, isn't this just great? _She hadn't planned on the two of them, without Naruto having dinner. Surely he would be back, right?

Sakura looked up at his face. She greeted him shyly, "Hi."

Sasuke stepped around her into her apartment. Sakura followed suit, slowly walking behind him. He quickly turned and sat down in one of the chairs near her kitchen table. Her eyes watched him carefully. His shoulders were tight as if he was on guard. _He moves as if he's been here before. _Sakura sat in the chair in front of him. She gulped as she poured herself a spoonful of the dish she'd made. _Could it be that he was the one who came into my apartment? No, right? _Sakura sighed and began to eat silently.

She tried her hand at a conversation. "So, how was your day?" she asked.

No response. _Alright then._ She watched as he quietly picked at his food. "Does it taste good?" she asked again. In response to her question, he lifted the fork to his mouth.

_That's good enough for me._ She sighed as they ate in silence. She stole a few glances at him as she ate. _Why does his face have to look so flawless? _She stayed true to herself. Uchiha Sasuke was an attractive person. But she told herself she would keep him at arms length, only as a teammate.

She quickly finished her meal and stood up abruptly. Although she didn't feel satisfied, she wanted him out of her apartment. The atmosphere felt tight and heavy like it was about to snap. She was not a woman who liked silence. Sound was one of the things she couldn't live without.

The Uchiha male looked up at her expectantly. What now? He ate at his own pace as Sakura leaned against the wall. Her green eyes zoned in on his body as he got up and took his plate to the sink. He moved in front of her. He locked eyes with her and then turned. Sakura's hand shot out and grabbed a hold of his jacket. He stopped but didn't face her.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" she accused. Sakura was merely going on a whim as she spoke. Of course, she had solid evidence but she hadn't bothered to take it to the lab for official testing.

Sasuke didn't utter a word as he listened. "It was you all along, wasn't it? Answer me!"

He spun around and towered over her. His arm snaked around her waist. Her lithe body was pulled close to his, leaving no space between them. "Hn," he said.

That was it. That was his way of consent. He had snuck into her apartment and wrestled with her that night. But for what purpose? There wasn't a single, valuable thing she owned that could be of use to him.

His face crept closer to hers. His nose rested below her ear. "It was me."

Sakura's breath hitched. He had just admitted to a crime. She rested her hands on her chest and tried to push.

"I want to spar with you again. Tomorrow, early in the morning. Meet me at the grounds," he said.

Sakura shook her head. "You can't just order me around!"

Sasuke stared into her eyes. His left hand snaked up to her right cheek and then whispered, "Can't I?"

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**(A/N: Whoa, that was tough. Review please. My next update will be next year or over break, depending on how busy I am.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This is my present to all of you. I do like some of the critical reviews. Haha. Thank you to **_Jeremyk1 _**and **_Exclair _**for following this story. Thanks **_Angelofurdream_** for favoriting this and **_Chachiha _**for your kind review.)**

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Sakura managed to shove Sasuke away. She huffed as she pushed him out her front door. She was furious at the moment. _Who does he think he is ordering me around like that? _She combed through her hair with her fingers and walked towards her bathroom. She needed a shower to help calm her nerves down.

Sasuke, on the other hand, slowly headed home. He hadn't wanted her to find out he'd been in her apartment that day this way. Now, she'd probably think he came to steal something or worse- kill her.

In all truth, he only came in to find out if she was being watched by anyone; it was just a precaution. She was an important person to him now. Nevertheless, she was under Tsunade's rule so he'd have to protect her.

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The alarm clock vibrated furiously on the nightstand. A pale arm came out from under the covers and smashed the button on the top. Sakura slowly got up, looking at the time. _6 a.m. already? _She groaned as she slid her blankets back.

Her feet pattered on the hardwood floor as she got ready for her spar with Sasuke. Just the thought of him had her cringing. _Why must I be be with the stuck-up one?_

She sighed. She grabbed a pair of sweats and a regular white shirt. This occasion was nothing to dress up for. She quickly freshened up and ate a bowl of cereal.

She made sure her door was securely locked before she headed out onto the streets of Konoha. The city of Konoha was a very old-styled version of a village. Houses aligned one section of the street while forests and greenery resided on the other. The sun shone on the city nearly every day.

Konoha High School consisted of small buildings instead of one gigantic school construction. When it was time to change periods, students would have to walk across campus to reach their next class.

When Sakura had begun her freshman year, every student seemed to look and talk in the same manner. She had never noticed the similarities, until a batch of new students had arrived into town. Immediately, everyone began to change.

Social groups formed quickly and people began to find their place at school. Sakura, for one, had never noticed the change. She had first blamed it on the school's former teachers, who were strict and allowed no room for arguments.

She later on discovered that the group of students who'd arrived weren't what someone would specify as "normal." She was quick to notice how a few kids would leave class and would take forever to come back. The new teachers paid no heed to them.

One would wonder why, as she did. She decided to follow one of these students to see what was going on. That was when she discovered their true form. Slowly, her emerald eyes became aware of the smallest of details. She could figure out who someone _really was _in a split second.

So even now, as she made her way to the training grounds, she couldn't stop thinking about the city. Such a small city turned out to be phenomenal. Most neighbors knew each other, acquainting themselves with other villagers.

The townspeople trust one another a lot and she absolutely found that awkward. If the pinkette walked down a sidewalk, a stranger would greet her. Of course, it being her personality, she'd simply smile and politely wave at them. On the inside, though, she'd be shaking her fist and stomping on the ground, yelling she didn't know the guy.

A giggle escaped her lips as she came to a stop at the sand on the floor. She looked up to see Sasuke perched peacefully on a tree branch.

Before she opened her mouth, he jumped down in front of her and stated, "You're late."

The girl's mouth dropped open. "I'm late? When did you ever give me a time to arrive?" she asked.

She had a point; she knew she made herself clear. Why would he expect so much out of her when she didn't know what he was saying half the time she was with him?

She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well. Let's get on with this."

Sasuke didn't say a word, he just stared at her. His eyes narrowed in on her midriff, watching her every move. If she faked a move, he would know. The core of the body never changes unless the action is committed to. Sasuke took a step to the left and slowly encircled her. His silent footsteps gave her the idea he was sizing her up, formulating plans.

Well, she wasn't the type of girl who planned everything from the beginning. The farther she immersed herself into the action, the more her instincts would take over. To her, that was survival. She found out all of her opponent's strengths and weaknesses like this. One hold could determine their fate.

Sakura finally moved and attempted to throw a punch at him. He easily caught her fist in his hand. The impact of the force sent leaves flying away from them.

He smirked at her strength. She had been trained well. He quickly gripped her fist and pushed her back. Her feet skidded backwards.

Her emerald eyes widened as she saw him disappear. She ran forwards to the middle of the grounds. Her wide eyes looked all over for him. Before she could even comprehend, she was kicked forwards face-first.

_Damn. He's fast. _She lifted herself up and huffed. This was going to be a physical battle. She didn't have her essentials: her kunai, a couple shuriken, or her glasses. She let out a breath and mentally told herself to calm down.

She gazed at the area, once again, finding him out of sight. She jabbed her foot into the sand, leaving a small gap. She took a few steps to her right and crouched down. She dusted the sand outwards. Her small feet quietly crossed over to a tree, which she hid behind.

She held in her breath when she felt the breeze. Her eyes wandered down to see a large rock on the floor. Picking it up, she moved towards him. He looked at her with confusion. What was she doing?

She threw the rock at him, knowing he'd catch it. As soon as he caught, she was in front of him. She tackled him onto the floor. She straddled him and immobilized his hands by lifting them above his head.

He looked up at her and asked, "That's it?"

Sakura's head tilted to the side. _What? _Before she knew it, he swung his leg over her hip and reversed their positions. She gaped at him. She hated the smirk on his face.

Her left knee came up to between them but was stopped midway when his hand gripped it. That left her hand free and she immediately took a grab for the front of his shirt. His body lurched forwards towards her. His face pulled close to her ear.

"If you think this is over, you are very wrong," she whispered.

With that, she managed to push him off of her. He was on his feet in a second. Sakura charged at him with her fist. He ducked and grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back. She felt the pain- the stretch was moments away from snapping. She gasped at brought her other elbow behind into her gut.

He moved away, avoiding the hit. She quickly turned around with a kick to the neck. His hand caught her leg mid air. Their eyes clashed with one another. She panted slightly but saw no visible trace of sweat on his gorgeous, flawless face.

_Wait… What am I thinking about? _She growled and brought her other leg up to kick him. Her body propelled to the floor but she stuck her arms out before she could hit the floor. She rose and looked at him.

Sakura moved ahead and ran towards him. She stopped right before she came into contact with him, knowing he'd disappear. Sure enough he did, and she turned around. Her left positioned at his throat and her right hand was pulled back for the finishing blow. He reappeared right in front of her.

Now she had him. She won. But Sasuke didn't look like he was defeated. He didn't seem phased one bit. In her eyes, he actually looked like he'd won. He peered at her with his dark eyes.

Keeping their orbs locked, he licked his bottom lip. Her sweat had created a sheen of gloss on her body, leaving her skin glistening under the sun's rays. The way she panted did something to him. It made her seem vulnerable and pure. She was an innocent, naïve girl who had come to spar with him. It was dangerous, he knew. But he had been the one to initiate contact with her. He wanted to fight her because it was a way he was able to grow close to her. He glanced at her lips and then at her eyes.

Sakura saw him tongue dart out and she took him down. She huffed and leaned towards him. Their breaths mingled. How had she ended up in this position? What had happened? Sakura's head dropped down to his shoulder. His hands came around to settle on her waist. He had the power to push her off or leave her where she was. He felt her forehead on his shoulder and her hands near his sides. Sasuke chose the latter.

Sakura's hand snaked to his neck while her other hand rested on his cheek. She didn't look at him. Her lips touched his ear and she stated with a grin he couldn't see, "I win."

While he had been distracted, one of her hands had gripped his throat rather firmly and the other rested near the back of his neck. She had initiated two of the most deadly forms of murder. She could choke him or she could him out cold.

Either one didn't suit well for him. He sighed and lifted his hands away. He would give her the win. She deserved it after taking his mind off of significant matters.

Sasuke let go of her and waited for her to move but she didn't. She lifted herself up and then took in a gulp of oxygen. She had successfully tricked him with her distractions and managed to gain victory.

Her eyes had seemingly darkened at the sight of him down. She had rendered him of triumph. Sakura's finger traced his jawline and her head snapped up. She got off of him and took a few steps away from him.

Her stomach loudly grumbled. Her hands quickly came up to cover her stomach. A light blush appeared on her cheekbones from her embarrassment. She found that the Uchiha was smirking down at her.

Her shyness got the best of her, "H-hey, stop smirking!" she shouted. He turned around and began to walk away. Before he could leave her alone, she yelled out, "You owe me a dinner!"

He silently stood. He debated his options. He could take her to dinner where they would eventually become closer or he could refuse and let them be teammates. The second choice didn't sit _too _well with him. He would take her out. Without a word, his footsteps faded away from the sparring grounds.

"Gladly," his voice carried with the wind.

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**(A/N: There we go. Review, even if it's just one word. I want to know what you guys think about my story.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Today was the day! Sakura smiled at herself in the small mirror above the sink in her bathroom. She rinsed her mouth with warm water and dried her face with her towel. She was going to reset all of the traps in her apartment. After her scare with the Uchiha, she didn't want to risk any more intruders. This time, she would make sure that every single trap steered clear of her furniture and was out of sight.

The wooden plank she had pulled for her invisible fish line would have to remain empty. In the beginning, when she first rented the apartment room, she felt overjoyed. There were countless spots to hide things, and considering her current position as an agent, that was just what she needed. Of course, now, a few of the places she'd used since day one would need to be modified.

Sakura sighed as she walked into her kitchen. Truly, this was the one room she adored. She brought out a small microchip and taped it between her salt and pepper containers. The microchip actually had a built-in camera. It was invisible to the human eye and could monitor movement up to twenty feet away. She angled the camera to face her front door.

She smiled and proceeded to make herself breakfast. She brought out a bowl, milk, and a box of cereal from her cabinet. While there, she positioned her knife rack out of sight. She needed to protect herself, not endanger her life. Once she was done, she walked into her hallway.

She installed a bag of knock-out gas to trigger when she pressed her light switch. When the switch was flicked, the gas would be released. This would prevent the burglar from sneaking into her bedroom.

A chime bell hung above her door so she could be aware of people entering and exiting her home. She looked up at her ceiling for a while. She could lie a fish net under her floorboards, but that would break her hardwood flooring. That was always funny to watch- them squirming and trying to find a way out. Having the person suspended in the net would allow her enough time to sort out who the criminal was.

A buzzing noise alerted her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see her phone vibrating on her coffee table. There was no caller ID. She immediately picked up her mobile and pushed the green button.

"Haruno Sakura," she stated.

It took a few moments for the person on the other end to answer. She heard feet shuffling. Her heart began to beat faster. Was someone in trouble? Why wasn't the department answering? Sakura placed a hand to her chest and was about to call out but- "Sakura-san!"

Sakura let out a heavy breath. She immediately felt her muscles begin to relax. Her chest was thumping hard when she thought something had happened to Tsunade and the others. Sakura fell onto her couch with a soundless thud.

"Shizune..." the pinkette answered.

Shizune laughed and asked, "Gave you quite a scare, didn't I?"

Sakura smiled at her. "You have no idea."

There was a small silence until the older woman said, "We've found excess amounts of lead in our patients from the business district."

The younger girl grabbed a pen and a notepad to write down the information. "Give me the address. I'll suit up and head there right away."

She didn't hear a sound on the other end. If she hadn't known better, she would've thought they'd been disconnected. She opened her mouth to say something but Shizune interrupted her.

"Actually, we need you to go undercover. You will be going out to dinner to test the lead levels in the water," she said.

Realization struck her like a chord. It wasn't normal for a woman to go out for dinner in the business area. That would require her to take a partner- a _male _partner. Sakura already had an idea who it was going to be. Naruto couldn't hold a dinner date and a mission together. That was too difficult for the blonde. That left Sasuke as her only option.

"It's the Uchiha, isn't it?" Sakura presumed.

The pinkette could literally feel Shizune smiling on the other side of the phone line. Sakura shook her head when she heard the older woman laugh.

Shizune responded, "I don't understand why you dislike him so much. He's a good guy Sakura."

Sakura sighed and paced around her living room. "Really? He's so-,"

Shizune clacked her teeth together. "-protective of you. That's what you need in a partner. Now listen, I don't have time to chat."

Sakura raised her eyebrows at her statement. Shizune was the one who had began this conversation. Honestly, the woman didn't know right from wrong.

"He'll pick you up from your apartment at six o'clock. You will go enjoy your dinner and then report back to us. Sound easy enough?"

"Nothing about this easy," Sakura said before she hung up.

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A knock on the oak door had Sakura rushing to open it. She brought her left wrist up to look at the time. He'd came at smack at six o'clock on the dot. She had to give him credit, he was a punctual man.

She opened the heavy door and looked at his figure. He was wearing a black two-piece suit with a white collared shirt underneath. A black bowtie was wrapped right under his collar. His hair stayed the same, spiked up in the back.

Sakura hadn't thought he would have looked so...

_*Sexy*_

She gulped. Oh no. That was not what she was thinking. She had definitely not just thought that. It was her conscious who was inserting this weird thoughts into her mind. But wait! It was _her _conscious, so that meant it was actually _her_! She shook her head furiously and cleared her throat.

"You look..." she started. "You look nice."

Sasuke noted, "You were staring."

Sakura blushed and said, "I was not!"

He smirked and waited for her to slip her arm through his. Sakura stepped out and locked her door. He leaned in forwards and whispered, "You look beautiful."

Her shoulders rose up to her ears. She tensely turned around and started to walk away. Having her in front allowed Sasuke to observe her dress.

She was wearing a deep green, strapless dress that matched her eyes. The glittery material stretched down to her feet, where she wore a pair of silver high heels. Similar to her shoes, she had a small silver purse in her right hand. Her pink hair was put up into a bun at the top of her head, showing a white necklace adorning her slender neck. A pair of dangling earrings hung on her ears. The dress was tight in all of the right places- her chest, her hips, and her... He took a deep breath. He calmly let it out slowly.

He quietly followed her outside to the car. As she down, she expected the company car to wait for them in the front. Imagine her surprise when she saw a 2016 silver BMW parked near the entrance. Sasuke came up from behind her and opened the passenger door for her.

Sakura pointed to the car with her finger, "That's _your _car?"

He looked up at her expectantly. "Hn."

He closed the door as soon as she sat down. The leather beneath her body felt luxurious. She placed her purse besides the door to buckle her seatbelt. He was on the other side in a matter of seconds. The car silently started and he drove out of the drive way.

The ride to the restaurant was quiet. She attempted to make small conversation here and there but he only responded with one worded answers. She looked out the window as he smoothly pulled up in front of Konoha Leaf.

Her eyebrows rose at the destination. Konoha Leaf was an expensive restaurant known for their classy food choices and alcoholic drinks.

Before she had the chance to pull the handle on her door, Sasuke had already swung it open. She unbuckled herself and got out of the car. Sasuke led them to the main desk, requesting their reservation. Immediately, the waitress nodded and took them to a secluded booth portioned off from the public.

Sakura took her seat opposite from Sasuke. As she looked through the menu, she felt the man's gaze on her. Hoping it would pass, she lifted the selection guide higher. She gulped and slammed it down when he hadn't stopped looking at her.

The Uchiha was gazing intently at her with his hands clasped together under his chin. She opened her mouth but shut it when her emerald eyes caught the sight of the waitress. The waitress stared at Sasuke's face, asking him what he wanted to order.

The entire time the worker stood there, Sasuke's eyes never strayed from the woman in front of him.

"Uh, sir? What would you like?"

Sakura cleared her throat and answered, "Well, _I _would like a plate of ravioli." The young female scribbled down her dish and leaned towards Sasuke. "And my _date _would like a glass of water."

The worker hmphed and strode away. Sakura turned towards Sasuke, "Mind explaining what all that was about?"

Sasuke shook his head and grabbed the glass of water the server brought. He set it down in front of Sakura and gestured her to test the lead levels. She opened her purse and pulled out a device that looked like a thermometer. She dipped it into the water and waited for the red liquid inside to rise.

"There are high levels of the element in here," she responded.

Sasuke nodded at her and pulled out his cellphone. He made a quick call to the department and only said, "Positive," before hanging up.

The plate of ravioli was placed in front of her ten minutes later. She picked up her silverware and dug into her food. Sasuke watched her as she brought the pasta up to her lips. A trail of sauce was left on her top lip.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

He leaned forwards and stroked her top lip with his thumb. She looked at his finger and watched as he brought it up to his mouth to let his tongue lick the sauce off. Her cheeks flushed red. She didn't expect that from him at all. He usually stayed quiet and to himself. For him to make such a bold move, especially with her, he had guts.

She abruptly got up and excused herself to go outside. He threw a few crisp bills onto the table before following her into the cold air. He could see her form walking at a fast pace to his car. He sighed and headed over to her. She was shivering, and to make it worse, she didn't have a coat with her. He shrugged his off and covered her shoulders with it.

Sakura turned around, "Why are you doing this?"

Sasuke gave her a look. He didn't know what she was talking about. She repeated, "Why are you doing this? Why do you make me feel like this?"

He rose his dark eyebrows at her. He took a step forward and caged her between himself and the door behind her. "What do I make you feel like?"

She met his dark eyes. "Like I belong here, with you."

He gulped. He brought a hand up to her cheek and stroked it gently. "Maybe it's because you do belong with me."

He leaned into her slowly. His mouth was an inch away from her. He brought his head down to her height. She could feel his breath mingle with hers. He was _so _close to her.

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**(A/N: Oh, would you look at that? I have updated after an incredible amount of time. Haha, I hope you'll review and tell me how this is coming along.)**


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